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China, 206 BC-AD 220. Exquisitely carved in the round, the anthropomorphic ursine figure depicted kneeling on its left knee, with its arms akimbo and hands resting upon the corresponding thighs. Its rounded belly is subtly articulated with an incised navel and delicately rendered tufts of fur, while the torso extends into a powerfully modeled head inclined to the left, displaying a joyful expression characterized by wide-open eyes, a slender nose with pierced nostrils, and a large gaping mouth revealing a prominent tongue. The finely polished, translucent stone exhibits an appealing celadon hue, enhanced by icy white inclusions, small russet patches, and vivid malachite encrustations.
Provenance: The collection of Max Lowenson, assembled in the first half of the 20th century, and thence by descent to Dr. Ben Essex. Max Lowenson (1879-1945) was born in Latvia and immigrated to Cardiff, Wales in the early 20th century, where he became a successful businessman. His prosperity allowed him to travel extensively across Asia, sparking a deep fascination with Chinese history and leading to the formation of an impressive collection of Chinese art, spanning from the Warring States period to the Tang dynasty. Lowenson's legacy continues through his grandson, Dr. Ben Essex, a noted English collector of ancient Chinese works of art. He and his wife, Nina Essex inherited and expanded the collection of Max Lowenson. Today, pieces from Dr. Essex's collection are housed in the National Museum of Wales.
Condition: Good condition with expected wear, signs of prolonged burial, including areas of vibrant malachite encrustation resulting from long-term proximity to bronze objects during burial, the stone with natural fissures, some of which have developed into thin hairline cracks.
Distinct copper-derived mineral encrustations as found on this carving occasionally occur on excavated jades that were interred in close association with bronze objects, as corrosion products from the bronze gradually migrated into the surrounding burial environment and adhered to the jade surface over the course of centuries.
Weight: 95.6 g
Dimensions: Height 5.5 cm
The bear has been a popular totemic emblem in China since ancient times. China’s foundation myths hold that the legendary Yellow Emperor, or Huang Di, early on lived with his tribe in the northwest, presumably in modern Shanxi province, but then later migrated to Zhuolu, in present-day Hebei province, where he became a farmer and tamed six different types of ferocious beasts, including the bear, or xiong, with which the Yellow Emperor ever since has been linked. According to legend, Gun—said to have been the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor and the father of Yu the Great, or Da Yu—stole a special soil with which he planned to build dikes in an attempt to control the Yellow River’s constantly recurring and very devastating floods; he failed in his mission, however, and, as punishment for his theft, he was killed by Zhurong, the God of Fire. Gun’s corpse turned into a yellow bear, or huangxiong, and jumped into a pool; several years later, a golden bear—alternatively said to be a golden dragon—emerged from the corpse’s stomach and ascended into heaven, where the Yellow Emperor instructed it to complete its father’s work in taming the Yellow River’s waters. That bear turned out to be none other than Da Yu, who, according to popular belief, heroically controlled the floods and became the mythological forefather of China’s Xia dynasty. Thus, even if its exact symbolism has never explicitly been stated, the bear has been prominently associated with legendary rulers and national foundation myths since earliest times.
From the Han dynasty onward, and probably even much earlier, bears have been linked with military prowess, shamanism, and immortality. As a corollary, it might be noted that the words for “bear” and “virility” are exact homonyms, not only in modern Mandarin Chinese, in which both are pronounced xiong, but also in ancient Chinese, a connection that likely speaks for itself in terms of symbolism. Bears were depicted in Chinese art at least as early as the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–c. 1050 BC), as evinced by three jade bears excavated in 1976 from the tomb of Lady Fu Hao (died c. 1200 BC), Anyang, Henan province, and by a jade bear in the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection at the Harvard Art Museums, object number 1943.50.308.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 4 May 2026, lot 6
Price: HKD 243,200 or approx. EUR 27,000 converted at the time of writing
Description: A white jade figure of a feathery mythical beast, Han to Northern and Southern Dynasties
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of carving with similar pose, face, and expression. Note the size (4.5 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Zacke Vienna, 15 October 2021, lot 77
Price: EUR 27,808 or approx. EUR 34,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A pale celadon jade figure of a bear, Eastern Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the modeling and manner of carving. Note the size (4.4 cm).
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